Activation of Antioxidant Defenses in Whole Saliva by Psychosocial Stress Is More Manifested in Young Women than in Young Men

Psychosocial stress has been long known to have deleterious effects on health. Nevertheless, an exposure to moderate stressors enhances resilience and promotes health benefits. Male and female organisms differ in many aspects of health and disease. The aim of this study was to investigate antioxidant activity and oxidative damage in saliva in a psychosocial stress paradigm in men and women. Here, we show that an acute stressor of moderate strength augments antioxidant activity and decreases oxidative damage in whole saliva of young people. An examination stress caused a significant increase of catalase activity, accompanied by a decrease of levels of oxidized proteins. Levels of thiobarbituric acid-reacting substances did not increase at stress, indicating that lipid peroxidation was not activated. The stress-induced alterations were more manifested in young women compared to young men. Thus, antioxidant protective mechanisms are more activated by a moderate stressor in young women than in young men.

长期以来，学界早已证实心理社会应激（psychosocial stress）会对健康产生有害影响。然而，适度暴露于应激源可提升机体复原力，进而带来健康获益。男女机体在健康与疾病的诸多方面均存在显著差异。本研究旨在探究男女群体在心理社会应激实验范式（psychosocial stress paradigm）下，唾液中抗氧化活性（antioxidant activity）与氧化损伤（oxidative damage）的变化情况。研究结果显示，中等强度急性应激源可增强青年人群全唾液的抗氧化活性，并降低其氧化损伤水平。考试应激可显著提升过氧化氢酶（catalase）活性，同时伴随氧化蛋白（oxidized proteins）水平的下降。应激状态下，硫代巴比妥酸反应物质（thiobarbituric acid-reacting substances）水平并未升高，表明脂质过氧化（lipid peroxidation）并未被激活。与青年男性相比，青年女性的应激诱导改变更为显著。由此可见，中度应激源对青年女性的抗氧化保护机制的激活程度高于青年男性。